It feels like Spring is around the corner! We hung out with a big pod of ~300+ Long-beaked Common dolphins and ~50 Offshore bottlenose dolphins!
We left Mission bay and cruised out to the west and hugged the drop-off to the south. We spotted some birds diving and underneath were splashy Common dolphins! They were spread out all along the drop-off headed west toward deeper water. Several raced up to the boat to bow-ride and surf our wake. We spotted black-vented shearwaters, California Brown pelicans, and gulls! As the Common dolphins began to feed the birds also began diving! We waved goodbye to our new dolphriends and headed north. We spotted more splashes that belonged to an active pod of ~50 Offshore bottlenose that raced over to us! We noticed a few show-offs that leaped high porpoising beside the boat! We were stoked to see so many all around us in small subgroups, beyond the larger aggregation.
Naturalist,
Vanessa
